Are we on a low income?

[biganlittle]

I earn 33.5k pro rata’ to 4 days a week.
DH full time of 48k, I know there’s some high earners on here but I’m guessing the majority earn less, maybe not as little as us.

We have a little one in nursery still which I think makes us feel that much more skint!

Are we low paid? Both in jobs that we needed qualifications for and I have a degree but part time for years and 2 maternity leaves I think has held me back.

Really need to have separate northern and southern versions of these questions. For the south this is OK but not spectacular. £33.5k pro rata'd to 30 hours, take home pay (assuming no pension/student loan) is £22,815. For the FT £48k take home is £38,079.

So 22185+38079 = £60,894 max take home roughly.

Rent or mortgage can easily be £1,600 a month down this way for a 3 bed, £19,200 so if they are paying that much it's that's a third of it gone straight away. Free nursery hours now, but even with free hours discount our local Busy Bees gives £81.20 a day. She needs 4x a week so another £16,000 or so on that.

Leaves £25,000 for all other bills, shopping, car etc.

Probably average, but not "rich" by any means.

Your rent is less than half of what it would be where the OP lives. And it's not £7k a month, that's pre-tax.

Low income or even no income no benefits is when you can't afford a car, one meal a day, can't afford train fares, no TV subscriptions, cheapest model mobile, don't turn the heating on, limit water consumption, no social Iife, no holidays.

How many mumsnetters are in that position?

What do you mean by north/south? Just had a look on rightmove for a 3 bed semi to rent and anywhere decent in Newcastle is about £1.2-1.5k which isn’t dirt cheap. My mortgage payments are £1.5k. The busy bees near where I live is £82 for a full day.

One income family, My dh earns 60k before tax (really good salary in my eyes) We don't get full child benefit. We'd actually be better off if we both earnt 30k each. We'd get the full child benefit and less tax. My dh has declined salary increases at work because We'd actually be worse off. It's such a bizarre system.

(We have a child with additional needs/can't access school consistently so working isnt really viable for me right now)

Its all about context then isn't it.
Some are better off
Some are worse
That will always be the way in life
Count your blessings and don't compare yourself to others, it will only make you miserable

Maybe in Newcastle itself but there are places like this a few miles out which isn't that different to the house I am paying £1,590 a month for in the middle of nowhere in Sussex. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/167107208#/?channel=RES_LET

Im in Wales and quite frankly thats a really high income compared to what we have. However we live within our means and are fairly comfortable despite earning so little…

We are Glasgow area. Mid 30's.
2 income family. I make 44k, other half make 30k. Own our own house, 2 cars.
We have 4 kids. Ages from 5-14.
We are doing fine.
With 1 kid and a higher income. Think you're doing great.

Don't decline salary increases, put the extra into your pension!

This is in Stanley, County Durham. As I said, anywhere decent in Newcastle isn’t dirt cheap. I find it hard to believe the whole of the south is much more expensive to the point that it needs to be a separate thread

Agree. I'm in Scotland in a nice little village (not near a city) and my mortgage is £1300 and my council tax over £400. Depends where you are for sure!

To answer your question OP I would also agree you are middle earners.

The average for a 3 bed semi where OP lives seems to be around the £350k mark (ranges from £290k to circa £420k). For a FTB or someone who's purchased in the last 5 years, that's going to be a mortgage of £1600pm.

People seem to be overlooking the vast variences in living costs and most importantly if you own, it REALLY matters when you bought it!

Believe it lol

Is that gross or net ?

My husband earns 34k. I get 800 a month from UC after I was made redundant whilst on maternity leave. We are the definition of struggling. To us, your position is the dream. Don't let looking up at others make you not realise what you have.

Yes we looked into that but his company have a rubbish pension scheme what they did in the end is offered shares in the company rather than a pay increase. If they increase again we will look into putting it into a sipp or something else more worthwhile. We are in the young children era where we need the money now more than the contributions.

The comments I have seen on conversations involving £ on MN recently have been shocking. We live in a the 6th largest economy in the world fgs! OP we are on a similar income, whilst it’s not low, it really doesn’t go very far with housing costs and kids. We manage fine, but it’s crazy to think that we don’t have a bit more when you think of where we sit on the spectrum. It’s awful how some other people with less must struggle.

No. UC does and I get 2K some my work some them. If I took a job paying 30K/year I'd not survive like I am now so I'm upskilling to be able to enter a better paying job than that when my youngest goes to big school.

Depends where you live and what you feel is a comfortable standard of living. Chase the bucks in a big city and you will always feel overstretched. Yes, nursery fees are expensive, but that period will pass.

You are on a higher income than most average family and living in Portsmouth you obviously not paid London waiting.

Sorry, well not sorry but you have posted this question and don't be surprised if you receive not a great deal of understanding from OP.
You say you have a degree and paying for 2 children at nursery. With the greatest of respect did you not plan the costings of childcare at the time of deciding to have a second child and both going g back to work. But I maybe pre judging sbd you may have twins. I and a lot of mums had to wait to have a second child because of the cost of childcare. Government have introduced a number of hours of free childcare, but not sure of the criteria. My children are adults so a little out of touch.

Once again thanks everyone for replies.

DC2 starts school 2 years from now. She’s just got her 30 free hours, which has shaved about £250 off our bill which was VERY welcome. But our 5 year fixed mortgage ends next July, which I think will add on another £250 a month, (230k going from 1.64% to maybe 3.75%!?) so we’ll be struggling again for that year, but then she’ll start school the following September so I’m just focusing on that!
But god knows what food will cost by then, what dismal low % pay rise we’ll both get at work, and what repairs will come up on our 10 year old 2nd car.

We don’t have big pensions, possibly 30k in mine, DH maybe closer to 40k, I know we really need to build them up. Plus our savings account is currently at a whopping £375.

No you are not hard up, £81k joint income is very good.

Why are you trying to be hard up when you're not?

And this is what I (as somebody in a low income household who has a child with complex needs so the extra in it gives me entitlement on it each month) always think when I see those answers because alot would be. Then if the OP and anyone else with a similar income has full whack £1000 nursery fees, two cars and two insurance for them, parking or other travel costs, high council tax etc then £65k (or whatever near amount as I haven't considered any pension or slc deductions in those salaries) will probably cover the outgoings with not a fortune left over.

‘The north’ is not necessarily much cheaper than many places in the south.

Im in Greater Manchester a house was advertised for rent in my street for £1.4k ( 3 bed semi, nice area) apartments in this area can reach £1k and over. I’d love to know where this haven of the north is where everything is so much cheaper than the south!